The Supernatural
by Phil929
Summary: Sandy notices Ryan talking to someone, only it turns out not to be Seth and it's not Kirsten. In fact is the person actually there at all? It becomes obvious that Ryan is dealing with his grief for Marissa in a way that the Cohens weren't expecting at all
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Sandy whistled to himself as he prepared his morning coffee. Another great morning and he'd managed to catch some amazing waves. He looked over to the pool house and could faintly see Ryan through the glass.

He was standing up, talking to someone. He grinned slightly, checking his watch. Poor kid, it was probably Seth wanting another early morning chat about Summer.

He poured another cup for Ryan and made his way across the patio. He knocked quietly and opened the door.

"Morning guys," he called out as he entered the room.

Instead of being greeted with the sight of his two sons, he was rewarded with a rather startled, very much alone, Ryan.

He frowned slightly and noticed Ryan looking down sheepishly.

"You alright, kid?" He asked and received a slight nod.

"You're up early," he continued and received a shrug in return.

"I got you some coffee." He handed the steaming mug over to him and he gave a brief smile.

"Thanks," It was only a whisper but Sandy took it as a victory over the silence.

Sandy sat down the chair next to Ryan's bed. He could sense something was up, and it was more than just Ryan being embarrassed over being walked in on whilst he was talking to himself.

Ryan watched him and Sandy noted the look of dismay when he realised Sandy wasn't going.

He leant back in the chair, his own mug of coffee balanced on one knee. Ryan just stood, watching him.

He looked at Ryan carefully. It didn't look like he'd got much sleep. His eyes were blood shot and his face was harshly pale.

"Are you feeling okay, kid?" he asked worriedly. He got a quick nod in response but Sandy didn't feel satisfied.

"You look exhausted," he commented.

"I'm fine," he answered softly.

He began to pick up odd bits of clothing and Sandy frowned when he realised what he was doing.

"I'm gonna go have a shower. Wake myself up a little bit." Ryan mumbled and Sandy nodded.

He watched as Ryan closed the bathroom door behind him and felt his frown deepen. He knew something was up but he just had no idea what.

He was just about to get up and make his way to the kitchen, when he heard a murmur coming from the bathroom.

He didn't mean to eavesdrop but he was hoping that maybe he'd be able to work out what was wrong.

He couldn't hear much due to the running water from the shower.

"Marissa… please… come back…"

Sandy froze. Marissa?

He thought back to when he had seen Ryan talking earlier. He had thought that Ryan had been talking to himself but what if…

He was jolted from his thoughts by a voice from the door way. He jumped and turned around.

"Dad? What are you doing in here?" Sandy looked wide eyed at Seth and tried to contort his face into a smile.

Seth looked at him questionably.

"Okay, earth to dad. What are you doing? Where's Ryan?"

He stepped further into the room and flopped himself down on the bed.

Sandy notice with how much ease Seth came into the room and how at home he felt in Ryan's room. The two of them were truly brothers in every way but blood.

"He's in the shower," he said, indicating towards the bathroom.

Seth began absently rifling through a comic book that Ryan had on his bed side table, nodding vaguely.

Sandy stood up and subtly moved closer to the door to try and listen more but it seemed Ryan had stopped talking. If he hadn't stopped, his words were too quiet for Sandy to hear.

He turned around to see Seth watching him strangely.

"I'm gonna go back to the kitchen." he said and began hurrying out of the room. The look remained on Seth's face and Sandy gave him a quick smile before shutting the door after him.

Kirsten was standing at the kitchen counter when he entered the kitchen and she looked up as he came in.

"Hey honey," she greeted and he kissed her tenderly on the forehead.

"You okay? You look a little flustered." she put her arms around him and he leant into the embrace.

"I'm not sure," he answered. She pulled away and frowned at him.

"Have you spoken to Ryan lately? I just… I'm feeling a little worried about him," he began filling her in on what had happened. He knew that Seth would be keeping Ryan occupied and so they wouldn't be walked in on.

"Maybe you misheard," she scooped a stray piece of hair back from her face. "Maybe he was just talking to himself. Everyone does it sometimes."

"I don't know. That's what I originally thought but I definitely heard her say his name and it sounded like he was talking to her." He shrugged,

They both turned with their backs to the counter thinking.

"I just assumed, now he's with Taylor that we'd got through the worst of his depression." Sandy could hear the guilt in Kirsten's voice as she spoke and he squeezed her hand.

"Me too,"

They were quiet for a few minutes.

"But I mean, what can we do? We may just have this all wrong." she asked.

Sandy looked at his hands. He had no idea. They couldn't exactly go up to Ryan, and say "I saw you talking to yourself earlier and am worried you were trying to talk to Marissa."

He looked over at Kirsten and saw her eyes furrowing in thought and her eyes looking down at the ground.

"Maybe we could offer him someone to talk to. A shrink maybe?" She offered.

"I don't think Ryan would really go for that. He barely opens up to us let alone someone he doesn't know." he replied and she sighed softly.

The two almost jumped out of their skins when a voice spoke up from the doorway.

"What? Why would Ryan need a shrink?"

Sandy turned around slowly and chanced a nervous look at Kirsten. He knew the expression on his face mirrored the one she wore.

There in the doorway stood a rather confused looking Seth and a very flustered looking Ryan.

Ryan suddenly turned around and began hurrying back to the pool house.

"Ryan!" Sandy called after him and began quickly following him out to the pool house.

He felt Kirsten moving right behind him and hoped she knew what to say when they caught up with him.

TBC…


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Hi, sorry this took so long. This and "The Power of Speech" are my summer stories so the updates will be a lot quicker coming than this chapter was. Thanks for all the reviews for the last chapter 

Chapter 2

Ryan made it to the pool house and slammed the door behind him. His hands were shaking and his breaths were coming out in pants. He quickly clicked the lock shut and hurried into the bathroom. Ignoring the worried faces of the Cohens through the glass.

"Marissa!" he called, locking that door as well.

He looked around frantically; he needed to see her again. He wasn't making her up, he wasn't.

God, he needed her.

"Marissa!" he called again.

Faintly, he could hear Sandy and Kirsten knocking on the pool house door, their voices encouraging him to open the door.

He couldn't, he needed her. He'd thought they'd be on his side. He wasn't crazy.

He fought to control his breathing, he caught sight of his face in the mirror and recognised the look of panic that he was feeling.

A cool soothing hand lay on his shoulder and he turned. There she was. Slowly, he could feel all his pain and fears drifting away.

"Marissa," he breathed out.

He wanted to reach out and hold her, hold her like he used to; before Oliver, before Johnny, before the accident.

He knew that he couldn't. It wouldn't be the same.

She was smiling. That same smile still filled her face with beauty. The smile he'd fallen in love with all those years ago on the driveway.

She was wearing the same clothes that she had worn that day.

"Marissa," he said again. She moved closer and he could feel her presence closing in on him.

There was no way this couldn't be real.

"I miss you," he whispered. She cocked her head to the side, the smile remaining on her lips.

A knock on the bathroom door made Ryan jump. Seth's voice floated through. Ryan grimaced, they must have found the spare key.

He grasped out for Marissa's hand but knew he wouldn't be able to hold her.

"Don't go," he whispered. "Show yourself to them," he said in vain as she began to move away. "Please…"

"Ryan, kid, open the door." Sandy's voice echoed through the door and with that she was gone.

He loved her so much, why did she have to go? Why did he have to dump her all those months ago and go out with Sadie? Why didn't they spend her last year together?

He slid himself down the wall and sat down on the floor, his legs bent. He rested his head on his knees, exhaustion sweeping in.

He didn't hear the door swinging open.

Images began flashing through his memory, Marissa doing the fashion show that first week, her purple dress showing off all her best features. Then Cotillion, the happiness he had felt when she'd agreed to dance with him. Tears welled up in his eyes as images of graduation and the Model home invaded him.

He didn't hear the voices as sadder memories drifted through, carrying Marissa in Tijuana, watching her face sadden as her parent's relationship fell apart.

He jolted as an arm suddenly encircled around his shoulders. The arm held him still as he tried to get away.

He opened his eyes and realised he was being help still by Sandy. The worry in the man's eyes confused him.

"I'm not crazy," he said aloud and Sandy hugged him closer, shushing him gently.

He continued to hold him until Ryan could stop shaking, uttering soothing words to him quietly.

Xxx

Sandy glanced up at Kirsten and Seth who were standing in the doorway. Confusion and worry were clearly painted on both of their faces. He slowly released Ryan gently.

He didn't know what to do. He hadn't meant Ryan to hear him and Kirsten talking. He hadn't expected Ryan to react so badly to their words. He looked down at Ryan's face. The sadness and defeat he saw there shocked him. None of them had realised how far Ryan's depression was taking him.

Sandy had thought that since Ryan had come home after he had run away he'd been doing much better. Obviously he had been wrong.

"Ryan?" he said softly and Sandy watched as his foster son's head rose slightly higher in response.

"Come on, let's get you out of here,"

He pulled himself up and stabled himself before leaning over and helping Ryan up.

Ryan looked around the room, in a daze. He seemed to be looking for something or someone?

Sandy led the way to the bedroom but when he turned back to Ryan, he saw that he hadn't followed.

"Come on kid, let's go to the kitchen and get you some breakfast. You must be starving."

Ryan shrugged but didn't move. He continued to look around the room, scanning it for something.

"Ryan?" Kirsten called from the doorway.

He turned slowly towards her and she moved past Sandy calmly before pulling Ryan into a hug,

"Let's go and eat something." she whispered gently, leading him out of the room. Ryan seemed too exhausted to resist.

Sandy watched as the two slowly left the pool house and turned to Seth who was standing near the doorway.

"What's going on? What's wrong with him?" Seth asked him quietly.

Sandy breathed out tiredly. "I'm not sure." he answered truthfully.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed something and he snapped his head around to look. It was nothing. He shook his head; all of this was beginning to get to him.

"You alright?" Seth's worried face appeared in his line of vision. Sandy forced a smile and nodded.

"Let's go have breakfast."

Xxx

The kitchen was silent as they entered, Ryan sat at the counter picking at a bagel. Kirsten was watching him anxiously as she waited for the coffee to brew.

Sandy stood to the side next to Kirsten and they exchanged a worried glance. Seth seemed to sense they needed to speak to Ryan alone and mumbled something about going upstairs to organise his comic books.

They all knew he was just going to sit outside eavesdropping anyways.

It was only the three of them left.

Ryan sat biting his lip and looking intently at his bagel.

His foster dad took a deep breath. "Ryan, we need to talk."

Tbc…


End file.
